Jim’s second wander though the storage lot the other day brought us the double decker Chevy/Dodge A100 hybrid, which struck a note of familiarity within me. This still from the 60s French film ‘Zazie dans le Metro’ features the Citroen U55 Citirama bus and, bien sur, Paul has already shared this wonderful vehicle with us.

Since the movie Zazie dans le Metro came out in 1960, the Corvair captured during filming must have been pretty much brand new. I also see a 1950s Panhard Dyna a few cars right of the Citroen bus. The car behind the Panhard might be a 2CV.

The Corvair does fit in, doesn’t it? It appears to be a 1960 700 sedan. When this picture was likely taken, there were still significant numbers of American troops in France. NATO headquarters was just north of Paris, in Rocquencourt. The way the guys are hanging half out of the car suggests a bunch of GIs checking out the sights.

If we are talking about the one behind the blue Dauphine, it looks like a Renault Juvaquatre van. I think they originally came out about 1938 and were made into the mid 1950s but stand to be corrected. The saloons bore a remarkable resemblance to the contemporary Opel Kadett.

Isn’t it interesting that of approximately twenty to twenty five cars that we’re able to identify, only one is not French? I imagine a similar situation in London around that time with the cars being predominantly British, in Rome with the cars Italian, but for some reason imagine Berlin being more cosmopolitan. Am I right, or wrong?

I believe the vast majority would be German made, including Borgwards, Gogomobiles and DKWs; on the other hand, very few BMWs and no Audis whatsoever. But up to the mid eighties it was a different “carscape” in every country in Europe, as much as there were different currencies, and I certainly miss the quintessencial Paris or London or Rome street look, it was part of the local culture.

What’s perhaps more unusual is not the Corvair, etc that ARE visible, but what cars are NOT there. I see only one DS, and not a single 2CV or older Traction Avant Citroen. And I realize this is only about 15 years after La Liberation, but no Beetles?

Well, duh. I looked closer and there’s a 2CV right up front and center. And one DS in the back. But I still can’t see the other 2CV’s! I was never good at “Where’s Waldo?” either. In any case, I would have expected that they’d be more visible, but maybe 2CV’s were more rural cars. I’m sure a picture taken in downtown Manhattan today might not show any F150’s. BTW, the Vedette with V8-60 was a car that fascinated me as a small child; pre-Internet it was harder to learn the history of such cars, but a Simca with a V8 just seemed exotic.